Week 10 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Determining Deep Sleepers and Potential Busts

Chances are many owners don't have a lot of decisions to make for their Week 10 fantasy football lineups.

So, that's good.

Unfortunately, the reason for that is an avalanche of bye weeks. With the Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, Minnesota Vikings, San Diego Chargers, Washington Redskins and Houston Texans all out of action this week, that means your options are going to be limited.

So, that's not so good.

If the onslaught of byes has you deciding between Bryce Brown or Riley Cooper in your flex spot, we're going to take a look at some deep sleepers (owned in 30 percent or less of Yahoo leagues) to roll the dice on.

And if you've somehow avoided the bye-week blues—I already don't like you—and have considerable depth on the bench, we'll take a gander at some common starters (started in 60 percent or more of Yahoo leagues) to be wary of.

Start 'Em: Paul Richardson, WR, Seattle Seahawks (Owned in 1 Percent of Leagues)

Stephen Brashear/Associated Press

Now, let's get this straight. This isn't just a deep sleeper. This is a cavernous sleeper. This is a sleeper who lives somewhere down near the depths of Cthulhu.

But let's say you're in a 12-team league and your wide receivers are T.Y. Hilton, Julian Edelman, Keenan Allen, DeSean Jackson and DeAndre Hopkins. First, find someone to give you a hug. Immediately. Second, you're going to have to get creative filling out your roster.

In the five games Percy Harvin was with Seattle in 2014, Paul Richardson had one catch on one target for seven yards. In the three games since, the speedy rookie has nine catches on 14 targets for 65 yards.

Those still aren't overwhelming numbers, but his role is growing by the week. Check out his progressing snap percentage (offensive snaps played divided by total offensive snaps) compared to starters Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse, via Football Outsiders:

Player	Week 7	Week 8	Week 9
Doug Baldwin	82.0	98.0	80.0
Jermaine Kearse	90.0	92.0	84.0
Paul Richardson	59.0	69.0	72.0

The Seahawks' first draft selection in May, Richardson is an electrifying talent.

"He’s got quickness kind of like Doug Baldwin, he’s got speed kind of like Percy Harvin and he has that catching range kind of like Jermaine Kearse,” head coach Pete Carroll once said, via The Seattle Times' Jayson Jenks.

Now, he's getting an opportunity to showcase those attributes, and in Week 10, he'll do it against a New York Giants defense without top cornerback Prince Amukamara.

Richardson is still mostly a lottery ticket at this point, but the upside is enough to take the risk in a bye-heavy week.

Sit 'Em: Lamar Miller, RB, Miami Dolphins (Started in 66 Percent of Leagues)

Gary McCullough/Associated Press

Lamar Miller is averaging 4.9 yards per carry, has 21 receptions and has found paydirt six times in eight games. After a miserable 2013 season, he has developed into a legitimate top-12 fantasy running back.

Yet the Dolphins seem unwilling to fully unleash him. Even with the unexciting Daniel Thomas and Damien Williams backing him up, Miller has received 15 carries or more in just two games all year. His season-high is 18.

As such, even with how good he's been, he has a relatively low floor if the matchup is wrong. And in Week 10, the matchup is wrong.

The Detroit Lions, freshly rested after a bye week, are second in the NFL in yards per carry allowed (3.3) and first in Football Outsiders' rush defense rankings. As it turns out, it's not easy to run the ball against a team with two semitrucks in the middle of the defensive line.

Throw in a shoulder injury—he has been practicing, but there's cause for Miami to play it safe—and Miller can be benched.

Start 'Em: Mychal Rivera, TE, Oakland Raiders (Owned in 27 Percent of Leagues)

You probably won't confuse Mychal Rivera with one of those new-age "He-Played-Basketball-At-Some-Point-In-His-Life" tight ends. He's "only" 6'3" and ran a 4.81 40 at the 2013 combine.

But fantasy football is all about opportunity, and Rivera is getting that in droves.

The second-year tight end has begun to build a strong rapport with rookie QB Derek Carr, and in the last two weeks, he has pulled down 15 receptions on 20 targets for 121 yards and two touchdowns.

He has turned into Carr's safety valve and red-zone target, and as Pro Football Focus' Mike Clay noted, he's going to see a lot of garbage-time looks when the Raiders likely fall behind early against the Denver Broncos:

Denver has gotten torched by Antonio Gates and Rob Gronkowski the last two weeks, but it's not just the studs. Jace Amaro had 10 catches for 68 yards and a score in Week 6.

If you're in need of a Gronk, Gates, Jordan Reed or Dwayne Allen replacement, Rivera is a tremendous option.

Sit 'Em: Frank Gore, RB, San Francisco 49ers (Started in 62 Percent of Leagues)

Ben Margot/Associated Press

Through eight games, Frank Gore is averaging 14.5 carries per game. That's the lowest mark since his rookie season, while he's looking at career-lows in yards per carry (4.07) and receptions per game (0.6).

And unlike in previous years, he isn't making it up by finding the end zone, per UTHDynasty.com's Chad Parsons:

Is the 31-year-old machine finally slowing down, or are the 'Niners getting ready to unleash him in the second half of the season?

Either way, Gore has just 107 rushing yards in his last three games combined and now faces a New Orleans Saints team that has played decidedly better at home.

Frank the Tank will be more like Frank the Sedan in Week 10.